Eternity
by WinterCactus
Summary: Kyōko unexpectedly gets pulled back in time along with Homura after the two suffer a disastrous defeat by Walpurgisnacht. How will this change the time loop, now that Kyōko starts the month knowing more than she should? How will this affect Homura's new idea, for that matter? She has so little time and a month is just never enough to prepare for the battle. [Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1

**New story from some ideas I've been toying with during my writer's block on Doors. Enjoy!**

 **I don't own any characters :(**

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Chapter 1:

Somehow, she found herself here again. Alone. She was no longer surprised when her eyes opened to the view of a bland hospital ceiling again. She was no longer scrambling to see if the soul gem was with her or if it was all a dream. It was no dream. Everything had been real. By her count, it was… Well, she no longer counted specifically, but she figured it had to be more than fifty tries. What will it take? How does she get all four of them to reach Walpurgisnacht? She could only ever get Kyōko to make it to that day, and even that was only if she was lucky and the redhead didn't go charging to their certain doom before then. The blue-haired knight was the most expendable. She was weak, and was possibly even more of a burden than a benefit. Mami's firepower was valuable, but somehow she found out about where witches came from every time. Kyōko was the strongest option out of the three, but she lived in Kazamino and sometimes could not be convinced. If only she could get both Mami and Kyōko to survive until after Walpurgisnacht, she could escape the endless cycle of failure. It was not a dream, by any stretch. It had begun to turn into a nightmare.

Homura brushed her hair out of her face and stood up from the bed. Every single movement was practiced, fluid. Leaving the red-rimmed glasses on the bedside table, she left the hospital ward at a brisk pace, only stopping to sign herself out of the hospital at the front desk. Returning home, she took a spare key out from a secret compartment behind the nameplate on the door. The interior of her house was sparsely furnished. A small coffee table was in the centre of the room, surrounded by several small couches of varying colours. Up above the table, a large pendulum swung back and forth, creating a soft _whoosh_ ing in the large room. Off to the side was a hallway that led to her bedroom. A washroom branched off at the side of the hall, the kitchen on the other side. A single bedroom. The constant reminder for Homura that she was alone. Her parents had died from heart conditions not unlike what she had suffered before contracting with Kyuubei. That was no matter. Her only focus now was Madoka, the pink-haired, cheery girl who had saved her from a witch and shook her out of her suicidal phase. Of course, the girl in question would have no recollection of that, seeing as how this was yet another reset of the month. Everything would always proceed in exactly the same way unless Homura changed the way she approached things. She herself was the only variable in the endless loops of constants.

Suddenly, an idea hit her. Hope sprung up in her heart after quick contemplation of its merits. For the first time since the third rewind, she was optimistic about her chances. It was very likely that if Sayaka contracted, Mami will not die to Charlotte as long as the blue knight went in with her. Which, knowing their personalities, was very likely. She didn't like it, but for this gamble to pay off, she would have to allow Kyuubei to contact Madoka and Sayaka at the mall and not attempt to attack the white Incubator. Sayaka would be more likely to jump the gun, and Madoka would likely not contract immediately since she never had anything to wish for. If it turned out wrong, Homura could always just rewind and try a different approach. A quick inventory check told her that she was short on weaponry. She would have to go raiding soon to restock. It was a hassle, having to rely on mere _human_ weaponry against magical beings, whether her foe was a witch or another Magi. She despised the fact that she had very little offensive magic potential, though she was able to project a defensive barrier from her shield.

Homura sat in front of the coffee table, lost in thought. In the recesses of her mind, she took note of the stack of papers on the table which she needed to bring to the school tomorrow to complete her transfer. She didn't bother to check her school uniform. As with all the other rewinds she had done, the uniform was always in good order. Instead, her thoughts drifted to her enemy: Walpurgisnacht. It was not one witch, but several witches bound together by some unknown force. Kyuubei had confirmed that it had never been defeated before, even when faced with two or three Puella Magi. None of this boded well for her chances, but Homura believed that Mami's firepower and Kyōko's close-range combat prowess could make the difference. After all, when she had as many tries as she wanted, she could afford to travel all over Japan in search of powerful Puella Magi to help her. It was a venture that had proven fruitless, as none of the Magi she could find, after combing every province of Japan, was anywhere near as powerful as Mami or Kyōko. Even with her limited magic by comparison, very few were able to match herself, let alone the two veterans. As such, she had to find some way to get both Mami and Kyōko to make it. For now, she decided to get some rest, having been deprived of sleep from the last rewind attempt.

At some point in the night, she woke up to a rustling noise in her kitchen. Faced with something she hadn't encountered in previous rewinds, Homura could feel herself tensing. Was it a thief that broke in? But why? This had never happened before. As silently as she could, she got out of her bed. She pulled a Colt C7A2, an assault rifle used by the Canadian army, out of her closet. It was her personal favourite out of everything she had scavenged over several rewinds. Turning off the safety mechanism, she padded her way down the hallway. The rustling was definitely coming from her kitchen. She pressed her back against the wall beside the door, then slowly peeked in. The intruder hadn't turned on the light. Homura took a deep breath.

In one fluid motion, she kicked the door wide open and flicked the lights on, pointing the rifle inside. A moment of silence, an expression of shock, and a lowering of the gun. In her kitchen, rummaging through the fridge, was the red-haired Sakura Kyōko. To her credit, the redhead did seem kind of awkward at the situation. She scratched behind her head and laughed nervously.

"Ahaha… Hi, Homura."

"Sakura-san? How… why… what? Wait. No. This isn't right… You shouldn't know me yet."

"So you ARE a time traveller. I had a hunch when you approached me about Walpurgisnacht, but it was still quite a shock. You seemed to know way too much to be just making guesses about that monster. I guess somehow you pulled me along when you went back. It was quite a shock, actually, to suddenly find myself in the middle of Kazamino right after we got our asses handed to us by Walpurgis," Kyōko said.

Homura's mind was spinning. Now, nothing was a given. This deviance from the routine she was so used to could destroy her entire plan, but she could adapt. Perhaps having Kyōko in the know could be beneficial. She stood, completely frozen. Kyōko considered fleeing while Homura was still as a statue, but before she could make a decision, the time traveller spoke.

"Sit, Kyōko. I'll make some tea. We have much to discuss, apparently."

Kyōko sat at the kitchen table, still holding an apple that she had taken from the fridge. Subconsciously, Kyōko noticed that Homura had immediately gone back to calling her without the honourific as they had been already doing before Homura turned back the time. Peeling the tiny sticker off, she bit into the apple. About five minutes passed in silence, interrupted only by the sound of Homura making tea for the two of them and by Kyōko consuming the apple. An audible _clack_ sounded as Homura placed a cup of tea in front of Kyōko before sitting down across from the Kazamino girl with her own cup. Finishing the apple, Kyōko took a sip of the tea. It tasted mildly bitter, but relieved Kyōko of her parched throat, for which she was grateful. Having spent the whole day outside on a sunny day without water did nothing for her thirst.

"So… you still plan on beating Walpurgisnacht then?" Kyōko asked. A nod came from Homura in response.

"If we can just get Tomoe-san to make it, we should stand a fairly good chance. I've been all over Japan throughout my constant rewinding. You and Tomoe-san are by far the most powerful Puella Magi I can find. That means we can't let her find out the truth about where witches come from though."

"Alright then. I'll help. To be honest, now that I've seen what Walpurgis can do, I'm not eager to let it keep roaming free. Especially not this close to Kazamino."

"Thank you. Will you do me a favour as well?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"Transfer into the school with me. I want you to warn Madoka away from making a contract after Kyuubei talks to her and Sayaka. The way I warn her rarely seems very effective."

Kyōko squinted at the stoic time traveller, searching for signs that Homura was joking. She found none.

"You're kidding right? I'd probably get expelled from the school on the first day. I'm not made for that kind of environment. I'm a street urchin, if you will."

"...we are who we choose to be, Kyōko. Even if we are just nothing more than a soul gem controlling a puppet body. You're not a street dweller. You just choose to be."

Kyōko winced at the reminder that her body was no longer host to her soul. Finding that out from Homura previously had been a huge shock for her, and she saw how that drove Miki Sayaka to madness and despair. She had no intention go down that path and perish as a witch. She would die when she was ready, on her own terms. She then thought to the girl whom Homura cared so much for. In many ways, Madoka did remind Kyōko of her own sister, someone who she had never been able to protect. Spurred on by the realisation, she also realised that in whatever interaction she had with the pink-haired girl, she got along with her instantly. Reluctantly, she decided to do it. If not for Homura, whom she considered her friend, then she'd do it to prevent the pink-haired girl from losing her soul to a twisted and corrupt cycle.

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll do it. Though, I have no idea what kind of logic you think you're applying if you think pinkie'll be less intimidated by me than you."

"Thanks, Kyōko."

Homura finished her cup of tea, then placed it in the sink, and picked up the rifle from beside the door before heading back to sleep. As Homura left the kitchen, Kyōko noticed the end of a pink ribbon sticking out of Homura's pocket; a symbol of her struggle, no doubt. This left Kyōko alone in the kitchen, staring at her half-finished cup of tea. A few tea leaves floated on the surface, slightly distorting the reflection of Kyōko's face.

"We are who we choose to be, huh," Kyōko whispered to nobody in particular. Homura's words echoed in Kyōko's mind for much of that first night. Maybe she _would_ choose to be someone different after all this time. Perhaps it was time to stop dwelling on her family, on her past. The tea leaves sank. She smiled, then drank the rest of the now-cold tea. The rest of the night passed in complete and utter silence.

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 **A/N:**

 **Yea, so I realise the beginning to this is quite similar to the beginning of Doors. I didn't notice until after I finished this chapter, but I can assure you that this story is going in a completely different direction than Doors in case you're thinking that this'll be a copy of Doors with slightly different events. As usual, if you liked it, please leave a review. It would mean a lot to me! Thank you for reading! :)**

 **Thanks to my friend Cichelle for helping me break my writer's block! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own any characters :(**

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Chapter 2:

"Akemi-san! Sakura-san! You two can come in now!"

The two entered the classroom, Kyōko trailing behind Homura. She had been reluctant to even agree to this, but during the last time loop, the redhead had grown to admire the time traveller's calm and collected nature. Too often, she ran into people who were quick to make rash decisions, but not Homura. Homura was different. In order to make the whole process of getting Kyōko into the school easier, the two decided that Kyōko would be presented as Homura's cousin. They had left the house early in the morning to get Kyōko's paperwork done, claiming that Kyōko had to enter the school here since she now lived with Homura. The cover excuse behind this was carefully constructed behind the premise that Kyōko moved in because of Homura's heart condition. The heart condition was no longer a problem, since Homura had healed it after contracting with Kyuubei. The entire class broke into a wave of whispers as the two walked through the door and stood at the front.

"My name is Akemi Homura. Nice to meet you all."

Every pair of eyes turned to the redhead beside Homura.

"U-uhhh, hey… I'm Sakura Kyōko… n-nice to meet everyone," Kyōko managed to stutter out. Unbeknownst to her, Homura mentally facepalmed. Kyōko was many things, but _shy_ was not supposed to be among those things.

Once Homura finished writing their names on the board, the two took their seats for their first class. After going through a few different classrooms and falling into a pattern of self-introduction for each class, they finally ended up in English class. It was the class with Madoka and Sayaka in it. They introduced themselves yet again, then Homura sat in the front row and Kyōko near the back, slightly behind and to the left of Madoka, whom she would approach later. The redhead took out a notebook and a pencil, pretending to pay attention whilst thinking on the plans that Homura had made.

" _Madoka and Miki-san will run into Kyuubei at the city mall after school. The plan is to let them make contact. After that, they'll run into a witch. Tomoe-san will rescue them, at which point they will go to her apartment. I want you to intercept Madoka on her way home and warn her away from the contract. That way, once Miki-san contracts, she and Tomoe-san will both survive facing Charlotte at the hospital,"_ Homura had said to her that morning.

She wanted to ask the stoic girl how she was so confident everything would go according to her plan, but she was given no time. Without skipping a beat, Homura had got up and they left the house right after the plan was laid out. Shifting her attention back to the class, she found herself staring at a board with English words and phrases that she didn't understand. She yawned.

'This is so boring… Homura didn't even let me bring food. No eating in class, she said. A quick nap wouldn't hurt, right?'

As soon as she finished that thought, Kyōko placed her head on her desk. Within seconds she was fast asleep, doomed to sleep through the entire hour of English class. To her, however, it felt like ten seconds as she was abruptly woken when her desk shook. She looked up to find the black-haired Magi staring down at her.

"Class is over," Homura said, in her usual monotone. She gave no indication that she had just kicked the desk leg to wake Kyōko up. "You slept through the whole thing."

"Wha-... Oh…"

Kyōko realised that by now, the pinkette that Homura was so obsessed with was probably on her way to the mall. She grinned. Time to do some shadowing.

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Hours had passed since Kyōko sat up on the tree just outside the front door to the apartment building where Mami lived. An apple rested in her hand, tossed up and down as the redhead attempted to dispel her boredom. It wasn't until 8 PM that the familiar pink hair of her target could be seen exiting the building. As Madoka passed underneath the branch that Kyōko rested on, she spoke.

"Yo, Kaname-san. Over here."

"Ehh..?"

The confused pinkette looked around for the source of Kyōko's voice. The action was quite cute, actually. Kyōko found herself grinning as she watched the shorter girl continue to look around the area. As Madoka was beginning to move on, she spoke again.

"Look up here, pinkie."

Madoka looked up and found the transfer student sitting on the tree.

"Ehhhh? Sakura-san? What are you doing up there? That's dangerous!"

"Homura was right… You worry about others too much…" she muttered under her breath. Then, louder. "You got some time? We should talk."

"Sorry, I spent too much time with Mami-san and Sayaka-chan today. I have to get home soon. A lot has happened today, and I have a lot to think about."

Kyōko jumped down from the tree, biting into the apple. She was no longer dressed in the school uniform, but rather in her typical green hoodie and shorts. Madoka stared at the taller redhead, slightly apprehensive about their difference in size and the fact that Kyōko looked like a delinquent. In response, Madoka got a grin which showed fang-like teeth jutting out. Kyōko had tried her best to appear non-threatening, but judging from the pinkette's reaction, that was not at all how she was perceived.

"It won't take long. Come walk with me."

The two began to walk through the nearby park in silence. Madoka wanted to get it over with, partially because she was going to get home late and partially because she was still scared of Kyōko. Finally, after several minutes, she spoke.

"So… What do you think of Mami-san and what she does?"

"Ummm… I'm not sure what you're talking about…"

"I think you do, pinkie," Kyōko responded, turning her Soul Gem ring on her finger back to its regular egg-shape. Madoka's eyes widened.

"Sakura-san, you're a Puella Magi too?"

"Well duh! You can just call me Kyōko by the way. But this ain't about me. Nope. I'm asking what you think about what we do. I know Mami-san probably talked about how it's good since we get to save lives by killing witches, but I'm interested in your thoughts."

"Errrr…. I mean, it sounds pretty dangerous. And… we only get one wish right? So I don't think it's something that should be rushed. And if I'm honest, it kind of scares me after what happened today," Madoka said. The Soul Gem morphed back into a ring.

"That's right. It is dangerous. Your wish can backfire if you let it, just like mine did. Just like Homura's did. So, whatever you think is worth wishing for, don't. You still have family and friends who care about you. Once you walk down this path, you will never hold a normal life again. I'd stay away from it, if I were you. It's for your own good. This is coming from both me and Homura, by the way. "

"Akemi-san is a Puella Magi too? That's right, isn't she your cousin, Kyōko-chan?"

But Madoka found herself speaking to no one. Immediately after she had finished saying her piece, Kyōko vanished, leaping a distance that was impossible for regular humans. She blinked. She hadn't even seen Kyōko leave. Confusion showed on her face as she contemplated Kyōko's words. It was clearly a warning, but...why? A wish, plus she gets to help people. But something about those words gave Madoka the impression that Kyōko had suffered something terrible in the past because of her wish.

Her cell phone rang. It was her mother, calling to chastise her for being out so late. Dismissing the redhead's words from her head for another time, she rushed home.

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The door closed with an audible _clack_. Homura sat by the small table in the middle of the room, fussing over maps of the city with Xs marked all over certain spots. Kyōko didn't understand what those meant, but figured she would find out very soon. The last time she stood in this particular room of Homura's house, the black-haired girl drilled every single detail of Walpurgisnacht's capabilities into her. That was before they were beaten by Walpurgisnacht and sent back in time by Homura herself.

"Hey. How'd it go?" Homura asked without even turning to look at the redhead veteran.

"It seemed okay. She seemed to take my warning to heart. I had to let slip that both of us are Puella Magi though."

"That's fine. She would've found out eventually, anyway," Homura said, drawing lines from the Xs towards an empty portion of the map. "I'm gonna leave these maps here. The spots marked with an X are where I'm placing mortars. The line shows where it'll fire. Don't get caught by any on the day Walpurgisnacht shows up. It's a different setup from last time. Hopefully more efficient this way."

"Aye," Kyōko responded. "Got any food?"

A small cardboard box flew through the air, landing in the redhead's hand. It was a box of green tea flavoured Pocky. She looked up to see Homura standing by an open cabinet. Inside was filled with various food items, undoubtedly stuff that Homura's parents had bought and left her.

"Help yourself," the time traveller said. "Seriously, I'll never get why you eat so much. We don't even need food."

"Hey, hey, old habits die hard," Kyōko said, waving her hands defensively. She bit off half a stick of Pocky. "Besides, you've never been in a starving family or had to steal to survive."

"Fair enough. Don't sleep too late. We have school tomorrow."

"Ugghhh. Don't remind me."

The stoic girl left the main room, leaving her to wallow in despair at the thought of having to go to school everyday. Sure, Homura had plenty of grief seeds, so needing to hunt witches wasn't the issue. The issue was that Kyōko hadn't been in school for years, even before her family died. She took the opportunity to look over the maps, easily memorizing the locations of the artillery that would be set up that day. She knew Mitakihara like the back of her hand from her days with Mami, so knowing where to move for the actual battle would be easy.

Madoka… The pink-haired girl who, for some reason, occupied most of the thoughts of Homura. While Kyōko did admire Homura for her level-headed approach to everything, she never did understand why she was so obsessed over a single pink-haired girl. The only thing that Kyōko could think of the really justified the obsession was how powerful she would be if she contracted. By extension, that included the pinkette's witch form as well, which Kyōko supposed would be a problem to deal with.

'She's quite cute. That's something,' she thought, recalling the way Madoka had looked around earlier that night when Kyōko was in a tree above her. 'Wait… Homura couldn't possibly…. nononono. The Homura I know has no emotions. She's like a robot.'

Sighing, the redhead laid down on the couch, closing her eyes and attempting to sleep. A few seconds later, she sighed and got up again. She had been told not to sleep without showering and brushing her teeth, something that Homura had basically _ordered_ her to do. Though, life on the streets did give Kyōko some cruder habits than most girls her age would have. Then again, Homura was nice enough to let her stay in her house, so the least she figured the least she could do was comply. Though, tomorrow would be a long day…

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 **A/N:**

 **Phew! This was probably the hardest thing I've had to write. For whatever reason, I spent a lot of time working on this but was never happy with it. Writer's block was not very helpful either, but here we are! I hope you guys enjoy reading it more than I did while writing it! If this chapter seems kinda shoddy compared to other things that I've written, it's because I got really burnt out with a huge university assignment.**


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